Blended chia fresca

Lately, I’ve been just short of obsessed with blended icy drinks. The kind you make at home, with little to no sugar, like blended iced tea…or this, chia fresca with coconut water and lime. Remember that moment of epiphany, when you bought a smoothie and it first struck you that you could make as good or better for about $4 less at home? Or maybe it was a burger, or salad, or whatever analogy works for you. You...

Reuben’s famous veggie burger at home

Several weeks ago, I was once again inspired by another delicious dinner at Burke and Joan’s. They might not really like the credit for the inspiration, though, being the amazing cooks they are. That’s because, this motivation came from a box. Maybe it was largely hormones, but at the barbeque that night, I ate the best veggie burger I’ve had in a good long while. At first Burke’s admission that it was...

Sweet and sour: Strawberry vinaigrette/yogurt gril...

Sweet and sour isn’t exactly the right description for this week. More like bittersweet. It’s always like that, a little, at the end of the school year. The  eagerly anticipated commencement of summer break comes with a warm and reluctant letting go that is as surprising as it is regular. Only it’s never felt so pronounced and poignant as this year. Wednesday afternoon at 5pm, Steph and I had pretty much...

Light and lazy lemon frozen yogurt

I don’t consider myself a lazy person. In fact, lately I’ve had the toughest time focusing on fitting in rest and relaxation. There’s just so much to do. Then again, we do have a great book called The Lazy Gardener I think is a fabulous resource; and right now, I’d probably be all over a Healthy, Lazy Cook book, if there is one, but I’m not sure my energy reserves will spread so far as looking...

Sesame oat crusted baked chicken nuggets

I’ve had a little bit of a posting drought the past almost-two weeks, and have been feeling guilty about it. Not that anyone’s been on tenterhooks waiting for a post, or our meal routines have been affected in the slightest by failing to record. Only I consider myself a fairly faithful, though not frequent, poster, and it’s about commitment. True, I’ve been really distracted. We’re in the throes...

Red Pepper and Feta Sauce

I typically think of big one-pot meals as being the epitome of efficiency. One big, and not necessarily difficult, cooking session easily stretches across the course of the week. It’s leftovers and more, with special transforming powers. You know, it’s a stew…it’s a sauce…it’s a stuffing…it’s a soup… Lately, though, I’ve been discovering how much untapped potential...

Hearty blueberry banana oat and flax muffins

These muffins could almost be called gluten free. Except they’re not…and actually, I added a little extra whole wheat flour to the original recipe too. So noting gluten content is probably ludicrous, since gluten is one of those things that tends to be approached in a more-or-less all-or-nothing way. Still, it interests me how well flax and oats can work together to produce a hearty, healthy “pancake”...

Wild rice and sausage stuffed eggplant

It’s clear from the photos alone that I wasn’t planning to post this recipe. In case there’s any doubt, yes, they were taken with my phone, on a random, last minute whim. Then the recipe itself  is awfully similar to quinoa-stuffed zucchini, and could only be improved nutritionally by actually subbing in quinoa. In fact, there’s really nothing original or noteworthy to share, I just wanted to record...

Quick thoughts on choc and guac

I finally caved in spite of myself. Succumbed to the chocolate-avocado combo. Everyone I’ve talked to who has tried it, likes it. Why shouldn’t they? What’s not mouthwatering about  the rich and creamy texture of avocado taken on  a ride along the soaring heights that are the taste of chocolate? Not to mention, there are just oh so many tantalizing recipes to choose from. Shakes and puddings, cakes and...

Grilled marinated tofu

In our house, the number one, absolute key that enables us to keep to our food budget and be creative is the weekly meal plan. For me, it works best to look ahead to which days will feel busiest and plan corresponding meals that will work into the anticipated schedule. Dave thinks it’s funny how I splatter the list with all these little rotating arrows indicating which meals are “interchangeable”, and...

Another ‘healthier’ chocolate chip coo...

Last week, I made two batches of cookies. One was unequivocally a good-for-you snack. The other was more of a healthier Cookie. This week, that one gets a turn to be shared, despite a bit of  guilt that it’s not Paleo. Which is a bit silly, seeing as we’re not following a Paleo diet. But, we’ve been trying to avoid refined flours and sugars wholeheartedly, and this cookie feels more concession than...

Paleo coconut date cookies/energy bars

This week I baked two batches of cookies: one, a healthier-than-average chocolate chip cookie I loved. This is the other batch. It could possibly be appropriate to label “cookie” with quotes. Don’t balk, though. I like the cookie. Really like it. A lot. It’s clean, it’s paleo, and it tastes just like what it’s made of, a pleasing meld of dates, coconut and banana. It makes for a great...